Weighted casting float



May 19, 1942. J. G. WINTER WEIGHTED CASTING FLOAT Filed Jan. 29, 1941 Patented May 19, 1942 UNITED STATES PATENT oEFlcE j WEIGHTED CASTING FLOAT John Gano Winter, Washington, D. C.

Application January 29, 1941, Serial No. 376,548

(C1. i3- 52) v 6 Claims.

This invention relates to fishing tackle and more particularly to a casting float and release especially adapted for casting lure and line in comparatively shallow water or where the fish are near the surface.

This invention is especially useful to anglers where it is necessary or desirable to cast the hooks or lure a considerable distance without the annoyance of fouling the lineand lure, and to suspend the hooks or lure clear of the bottom. Accordingly one of the main objects of the invention is to provide an improved casting float and release of the `above general character which will be reliable in use and operable with a minimum of effort.

Another object is to produce a casting float weighted sufficiently at one end to cast well, with stabilizing means on the other end to insure true flight without twisting and which, when in the water, will float upright with the hooks or lure at the desired depth.

Another object is to produce a device of thel Other objects will be in part obvious from the annexed drawing and in part hereinafter indicated in connection with the following analysis of this invention.

This invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combination of parts, and in the unique relation of the members and in the relative proportioning and disposition thereof, all

as more completely outlined herein.

To enable others skilled in the art fully to comprehend the underlying features of this in- Vention and the numerous modifications in structure and relation contemplated thereby, -a drawing depicting the various possible embodiments of the invention has been annexed as part of this disclosure, and in such drawing like characters of reference denote corresponding parts throughout all of the views, in which- Fig. 1 is a view of the complete device with release clip assembled for use on a casting rod;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal sectional view of the casting float.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal section side view of the clip;

Fig. 4 is a front elevation of the clip; and

Fig. 5 is a view of the device floating in Water.

. 5, and stabilizing means such as vanes 6. The

' tened to the core 3.

body I has a perfectly streamlined shape with a ratio of flneness (i. e., ratio of length to maximum diameter) of about three, with the maximum diameter at about one-third of its length back from the nose and with weight 2 on the larger end. This body may be made of any suitable material such as balsa wood or cork and is here shown as being preferably solid. 'Ihe head, having a concave inner face, 2 preferably of lead makes up the weighted nose of the float and is attached to the body I by means of a metal core or rod 3 which runs longitudinally through the head, float and tail cap 5, binding them together, and has at its opposite end a line attaching means in the form of tail ring 4.

' The tail cap 5 may be a metal cone snugly fitting over thetail end of thebody and serving to protect this portion from the lateral strains when casting which might otherwise cut through the body. The tail ring 4 to which the line 1 is connected may comprise simple looping of the core 3 or a conventional eye ring securely fas- A plurality of stabilizing vanes 6 are equidistantly spaced around .the smaller or tail end of the body I and run parallel to the axis. These vanes are preferably made of plastic, such as Celluloid, and fastened to the body in any of various ways depending on the composition of the float.

With a balsa wood body portion, forexample, it

has been found these vanes 6 may be rigidly held in place in slots 9 cut into the body by waterproof cement. If a molded plastic is used for the body, these vanes may be made integral.

From experience it has been found that excellent results are obtained from a float about seven inches long and weighing about six ounces, although with a rod such as used in surf fishing, a nine-inch float weighing twelve ounces could be cast several hundred feet.

As shown in Fig. 1, the float I and release clip II are assembled on a conventional casting rod I0 having a reel I'I associated in the preferred position and relation for casting. The clip II, which will be described in more detail below, is loosely attached at one end by suitable flexible means such as cord or wire I2 near a point I3 labout three feet from the tip of the rod. The leader ring I5 shown in detail in Figs. 3 and 4 to which both the leader 8 and the line l. are fastened snaps lightly into the clip II. The line 'I from the leader ring I5 to the tail ring 4 should be of such a-length that a loop will be formed having a depth Ialmost equal to the length of the leader 8.

Figs. 3 and 4 show in detail the construction of the release clip with leader ring I5 in retained position for casting. The clip comprises a narrow metal strip or plate 2| with a hole I8 for the fastening cord I2 at one end and a rectangular slot I9 cut near the other end. A spring wire latch 2D permanently secured or soldered to the plate 2| at 22 is angularly bent as in Fig. 3 so that when in normal position a portion is forced through the slot I9 as shown in Fig. 3. When the leader ring I5 is jerked from the clip in casting, the latch wire 2D moves upwardly from the slot under the strain on the line thereby releasing the ring leader and lure I6.

Fig. 5 shows the position of casting float in water, that is, upright with approximately a third of its lentgh above the surface. When a fish is hooked, the float pulls over on its side or submerges in the conventional manner, thus indicating a catch.

By this casting float and release clip, means are provided for casting hooks or lure great distances without fouling the hook on the ground, in the line, or the person casting. In shallow water or where fish are very near the surface, the clip may be dispensed with by attaching the leader and end of the line directly to the tail ring 4. The float, being perfectly streamlined and held in line of flight by its vanes with both the leader line and line secured to its tail ring, has many advantages over a casting plug where the leader and line are attached, respectively, to the opposite ends of the plug. When lines and leader attached to the opposite ends of a casting plug, the lines often become entangled in each other and great diiiiculty is experienced in placing the plug in the water where desired or in casting it considerable distance because of its erratic flight.

The person casting with this tackle sweeps his rod in an arc' either overhead or to the side. The casting float, by reason of its weighted nose, shoots out tangentially as the result of centrifugal force, paying out the line from the reel and pulling the hook and lure after it but clear of the line. A moment after the float starts its night, the pull of the float jerks the leader ring from the clip, thereby preventing the hooks or lure catching on obstructions or the person casting.

When the casting oat lands in the water, it

floats in an upright position and the lure is suspended a few feet below the surface at a depth predetermined by the length of the leader and line from the float. With knowledge of the depth of water, the length of the leader and line from the float is such as not to expose the lure to vegetatation or mud on the bottom but to suspend the lure at a depth where the sh are feeding.

It is thus seen that the present invention comprehends a simple, reliable and emcient tackle especially designed for casting a lure great distances with a minimum effort and maximum dependability. It is very useful in relatively shallow water or where fish are near the surface when one wishes to place the bait well clear of the boat or bank with theassurance that the hook will be at the desired depth.

Without further analysis the foregoing will ting certain features that, from the standpoint of the prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of the generic or specific aspects of this invention and therefore such adaptations should and are intended to be comprehended within the meaning and range of equivalency of the following claims.

I claim:

1. The combination of a fishing rod, reel, hook and line, a casting float comprising a streamlined body having a Weighted nose, means thereon to connect the float at one end to the fishing line, and a clip on the rod between its ends for holding the line to the rod to prevent fouling of the line as the float is cast.

2. The combination of a fishing rod, reel, hook and line, a casting float comprising a streamlined body, a weighted nose at the larger end attached to the body by means of a metal rod running longitudinally through the'body, means to connect the fioat to a fishing line, and line engaging means on the rod to prevent fouling of the hook and line as the float is cast.

3. The combination of a fishing rod, reel, hook and line, a casting float comprising a streamlined body with a ratio fineness of three, a Weighted nose at the larger end, means comprising a metal rod running longitudinally through the float body, one end of which secures the nose in place, the other end of said metal rod forming means to connect the float to the fishing line, and means on the fishing rod to engage the line until the cast has been made, thereby to prevent fouling of the hook and line as the float is cast.

4. The combination of a fishing rod, reel, hook and line, a casting fioat comprising a perfectly streamlined body, a concave weighted nose at the larger end attached to the body, a rod running longitudinally through the body for holding the parts assembled, means to connect the float to the fishing line, stabilizing means on the other end of said float to keep the float in true fiight, and a clip to engage the line between the fioat and hook mounted on the rod' near its lower end to prevent fouling of the hook and line as the float is cast.

5. 'Ihe combination of a fishing rod, reel, hook and line, a casting float. comprising a perfectly streamlined body, a concave weighted nose at the larger end attached to the body by means of a metal rod running longitudinally through the body, means to connect the float to a fishing line at a material distance from the hook, stat bilizing means on the float to keep the float in true flight when cast, and a clip near the lower end of the rod to engage the line near the hook to hold a loop in the line until the oat is cast, whereby the hook may be suspended the desired distance below the surface after the cast is made.

6. The combination of a shing rod, a reel thereon adjacent one end thereof and a line connected to the reel, with a casting float connected with the line at the free end of the rod, a combined hook and sinker and line releasing means secured at an intermediate point to the rod and adapted to engage a portion of the line between the fioat and hook at the time the cast is made and to release the line and hook afterthe cast is made by action of the float pulling on the line.

JOHN GANO WINTER. 

